


Quest of the Reluctant Knight and Hidden Wyvern

by celticheart72, ivy475



Category: Michael Rooker - Fandom, The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Merle Dixon Being an Asshole, Merle Dixon Lives, Merle Dixon Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2019-08-16 17:00:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16499252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celticheart72/pseuds/celticheart72, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivy475/pseuds/ivy475
Summary: Merle Dixon never expected to be a hero or to befriend a dragon. But when a Sorceress from an alternate universe summons him to her world claiming he is her mate and the hero her world needs he doesn't have much choice.Authors’ note: This is a collaborative fic between celticheart72 and Ivy475. This is a TWD AU crossover to a fantasy realm. We do not own any of TWD, only our own original characters and ideas.





	1. Chapter 1

The forest was calm and quiet and sunlight streamed through the trees to wash over the undergrowth and bathe it in soft white light. Merle scanned the ground in front of him for the deer tracks he’d been following and lifted his head to check the bark for any signs a buck had been through. He brushed his hands off on his khakis and stood up, shouldering his rifle as he did so. His blue eyes lifted to the treetops to gauge the time, the fine lines around his eyes and mouth pinched as he contemplated the light. By his estimation, it was still a few hours before noon.

He took a deep breath through his nose to fill his lungs and catch the scent of the woods around him. It smelled mossy and there was a hint of impending rain in the air. There weren’t any distinctive animal smells though, which was both good and bad. Merle continued on the trail he had been following, watching the ground in front of him for any animal tracks. As he walked, he marked the trees in order to find his way back through.

It was an hour or so later that he decided to take a break and sat on the forest floor with his back to a large log. Pulling a bottle of water and jerky from his Camelbak, he took a bite of the jerky and chewed as he looked around. He wasn’t really sure why he’d chosen to go hunting that morning. Something had drawn him out there, spoken to him somehow, as if he was being led somewhere for a specific purpose.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the faintest flash of azure light, but when he turned his head it was gone. He propped his pack on the log behind him and slid down until he could lean his head back on it. Settling into a relaxed position, he closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes.

A pale blue hand reached out for him, and the pads of delicate fingers wisped over his cheek. “Merle…” His name was whispered on the air, startling his eyes open, and he sat up and looked around.

He was alone, and the forest was as quiet and still as it had been before he drifted off. There was a light buzzing sound in his ears and he had a mild headache, which he attributed to being overly tired from lack of sleep. It had been a difficult night full of nightmarish and otherworldly visions that kept him awake until early morning. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and drifted off again.

The image of a woman dressed in varying shades of blue danced in his mind, and she was surrounded by a bright, icy blue incandescence that blurred her features. She was tall with slender limbs and appeared to be wearing some kind of armor. One hand held a staff with a round azure stone at its top, and her other hand was reaching out to him. When the shining light started to fade, she moved toward him but was still hidden in shadows.

“Come to me…” The same whispered voice that called his name floated to his ears and he opened his eyes again.

This time there was a distinctive azure glow coming from the woods to his side, and he lifted his head to study it. Fingers ghosted over his cheek again and pinched his arm to show he wasn’t dreaming. When he felt the pain of the pinch, he thought back to the last time he’d gotten high. It had been too many days ago for this to be in any way associated so he ruled that out. Standing up, he picked up his pack and hiked it up his back, then shouldered his rifle.

Moving in the direction of the light in the woods, he followed it to a cave that was hidden by a closed in cove of trees. The mouth was covered by hanging moss that he pushed out of the way, and a damp musty smell hit his nostrils. He slowly made his way inside and found it was lit by hundreds of bioluminescent mushrooms lining the walls and ceiling. They were all green or yellow and weren’t the source of the glow that had led him there. His eyes adjusted and he noticed a small passage to one side that was pulsing with the azure light he’d been seeing.

He made his way slowly through the passageway until he came to an open grotto with a small pool at its center. Hovering over the pool was an oval-shaped energy field, which was undulating different colors of blue and humming.

Merle stepped from the passage into the grotto and the field brightened so much that he had to shield his eyes. The hair on his arms was standing up, and he felt like the room was full of static. Moving slowly around with his hand trailing over the damp walls, he studied the anomaly in front of him. Behind the undulating lights, he thought he saw the outline of the woman from his dream.

Without warning, the pool started to expand, and the static feeling increased exponentially. He tried to maneuver back to the entrance of the grotto but was caught by bands of energy before he could. Squeezing his eyes shut as the light exploded, shock waves crashed into him and he felt like his body was being sucked into a vacuum. Landing on his back with a thud, he was momentarily stunned, and his ears rang and his head swam.

It took some time but when he was finally able to move, he lifted his left hand to press into his eyes and dropped his right arm to the grassy earth. His brain didn’t even register that the floor of the cave hadn’t been grassy. That same ghostly touch fanned over his cheek again, and he could just barely hear the voice that called to him through the ringing in his ears. With his hand held over his eyes to shield his vision, he slit them open to find he wasn’t in the cave any longer, and it didn’t appear he was in the mountains of Georgia any longer, either.

He sat up so suddenly that his head swam, and he felt delicate hands on his right bicep and shoulder, while his right hand felt wrong pressing into the grass next to him.

“You are whole.” Her voice was next to his right ear again, which was still ringing.

Long moments passed before Merle tried to open his eyes again. When he did, he rested his forearms over his knees and looked around in complete and total shock.

The landscape around him appeared to be a field of red wheatgrass with multicolored trees and plants scattered across the terrain in front of him. It appeared to be nighttime in this place because two large purple moons, one set in front of the other, were in the sky, which was an odd shade of purple and hazy red.

He looked to his bicep where a slender icy blue hand with glittering cerulean fingernails rested. Merle lifted his eyes to the face of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in the flesh or in art. The woman’s features were Elven-like, though her ears weren’t pointed, and her eyes were slanted and lined in a dark denim blue with irises the color of amber. Her eyelashes were a cobalt color and sparkled in the light. All of her visible skin was the same pale icy blue and her hair was primarily a midnight blue with streaks of peacock and sky blue running through it that she wore in a single braid thrown over her shoulder. There were silvery colored symbols either etched or tattooed into her cheeks that shone in the moonlight.

The outfit she wore was an iridescent blue leather that looked like it might actually be an armor of sorts. Her chest was covered by what looked like a heavy corset made from pieces of leather in a criss-cross pattern. There was a ring of leather circling her neck with straps attached on each side that ran over her upper arm and connected to a piece that encased her forearms and stopped at her wrists. He couldn’t see her lower half very well with the way she crouched next to him, but her thigh and knee appeared bare and she was wearing boots of the same color. She also seemed to be wearing a cape or cloak that floated around her and glittered in the light.

It was barely a few seconds that he’d scrutinized her, but when he lifted his eyes to look into hers, he found one midnight blue eyebrow arched over amused eyes. “My name is Aurora Stormeye. You are to be my mate and the great warrior this world needs in its darkest of times.”

“What the fuck kind o’ shit are ya smokin’ woman?” Merle groused.

His voice sounded muffled with the ringing still in his ears, and he lifted his right hand to rub at his ear. It was then he realized his hand was gone and in its place was a black leather sheath over his wrist covering half his forearm.

Without a thought to the consequences, his left hand shot out to Aurora’s throat. He had her on the ground under him in an instant. She raised her hands to grasp his wrist, her amber eyes unafraid as she looked up at him. Holding his right arm up in front of her face, he narrowed his eyes. “Ya better explain what the fuck happened b’fore I get pissed, girlie.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Am I to assume in your world you possessed both hands?” Her voice was irritatingly calm to Merle’s ears, and that just made him snarl at her.

“Yeah, I was in possession o’ both hands, damn it! What the fuck happened?” Merle let go of her and sat back with his left forearm resting on his knee. “Yer damn hocus pocus shit go haywire?”

Aurora stayed on the ground where she was and looked up at him, her amber eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Hocus pocus?”

Merle waved his stump in the air. “Whatever the shit was that sucked me into this cartoon.”

She smiled, and Merle would swear later when he thought back on that moment that time stopped somehow. “It is magic, Merle Dixon.”

His head tilted in confusion. He could have sworn he hadn’t told her his name. “How the fuck do ya know my name?”

“You were destined to be my mate. I have known your name for many growth cycles.”

He looked around at the colorful foreign landscape and dual moons and decided he had to be hallucinating. 

“I musta ate some bad shrooms in the woods. Ain’t no way this shit is real.” Looking down at the strange woman on the ground in front of him, he leaned down until he was scant inches from her face and growled, “Prove I ain’t dreamin’, sugartits.”

“How do you propose I do that, Merle Dixon?” Her calm attitude was really starting to piss him off.

Giving her a leering once over that would have gotten him slapped hard enough to spin his head around on Earth, he waggled his eyebrows. “Get my cock wet in yer pussy, and I’ll believe yer shit crazy story. Ain’t got nothing better ta do anyway.”

Aurora shook her head and moved from underneath him to sit up. “The time for that has not come yet.”

“Ya got a pussy, don’t ya? Ain’t broken, is it?” He snickered at his joke.

“Merle Dixon, we have more pressing issues to attend to than mating right now.” She stood up, and it was then he saw her corset armor thing stopped right at her hips. He could see a peek of pale blue flesh above a wide piece of the same iridescent blue leather that sat snug around her hips with gauzy pieces of a glittering dark blue fabric attached to it swirling around her legs. It was then he noticed she had a sword strapped to her hip.

He looked up at her defiantly and pursed his lips. “Well, shit, girlie. This is the worst dream I ever had. I get yanked into some cartoon, lose a hand, and the woman claimin’ ta be my mate don’t wanna fuck me? No, thanks. I’ll just stay right here until I wake up.” 

Her amber eyes scanned the landscape in front of them before turning her gaze back on him. “You cannot stay here. It is not safe.”

Merle shrugged and sprawled out on the ground with his hands behind his head. “Don’t matter ta me. I’m dreamin’. I’ll wake up back in the woods at home.”

She fisted her hands on her hips and looked down on him. “You need to come with me. Complain however makes you happy, but we need to leave this place. My magic will not protect us much longer.”

He opened one eye to look up at her. “If this place is that bad, why’d ya come here in the first place?”

“Merle Dixon, please. Come with me. I will explain as we travel back to my people.”

If this wasn’t a dream and the woman who brought him to this world was concerned about where they were, Merle figured it probably was in his best interest to listen to her. He got up and dusted off his...armor? Looking to Aurora, he raised an eyebrow and motioned to himself. “Start by explaining my missing hand and what the fuck I’m wearin’.”

Her cape, which had been floating around the level of her hips, settled down around her legs as they started walking. “I cannot explain what happened to your hand. I can only surmise that my magic brought you here with what you need, including your armor and weapons. Perhaps your hand would have been a hindrance here. Or maybe it is significant somehow? I cannot yet be sure.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a real fuckin’ inconvenience. If you ain’t gettin’ my dick wet, all I got is Rosy Palm and her five sisters.”

Aurora stopped walking to give him a confused look, and he waved his left hand in front of her face. “What would you do with your hand?”

That brought Merle up short. This had better be a dream. If she had no idea what he’d do with his hand, then sex on this planet must really suck. “I can show ya.”

“You will have to show me when we find a safe place to sleep for the night. We do not want to be caught in this wasteland.” She was moving again and had gotten at least twenty feet away before she realized he wasn’t following her. 

Merle was looking around at what had at first appeared to be a lush field of a red wheatgrass. When he crouched down to examine it, he realized there wasn’t anything lush about it. In fact, it was dry and brittle. The soil under his fingers was sunken in and hard like it hadn’t seen rain in months. Walking to the nearest tree, he ran his hand over the bark and could swear his ears heard a groan of pain. This had to be the most lucid, and weirdest, dream he’d ever had. Whatever kind of mushrooms he’d eaten before passing out must have been really good. 

Aurora watched him from where she stood and hoped her magic had been right. He seemed capable enough, but it struck her that he was a man who did not do anything without some reward in it for himself. She was unsure if he would consider her as his mate a sufficient reward for helping to save her world, but somehow she had to convince him it was.

When he stood up and headed her way, his eyes were scanning the wasteland around them. Once he made it to her side, they resumed walking. “Okay, sugartits. I’ll play along until I wake up. Where am I, and what happened here?”

The two walked in silence for a few minutes while Aurora gathered her thoughts. Merle was getting more and more irritated the longer she went without talking. And why the fuck wasn’t he awake yet? 

Lifting her hands and gesturing around them, she looked over at Merle. “This is Eclemar. It is what you might call an alternate dimension. Where you come from lies parallel to this place, just on a different plane of existence. Our worlds are sisters to each other, each needing the other to survive despite the vast differences. Where science rules your world, magic rules mine. Magic has been plentiful and Eclemar’s people have prospered...”

“Looks like yer magic shit ain’t workin’ too well.” His stump motioned at the ground.

“And that is why I summoned you.”

Merle threw his head back and let out a raucous laugh. “What the fuck ya think I am?” He held up his sheath-covered stump. “I’m missin’ a hand. My rifle…” It was when he gestured his thumb over his shoulder that he realized, he had a sword strapped to his back. When he tried to grab it he felt a distinct slap to his hand and heard a sharp ‘no’ that didn’t come from Aurora. His eyes narrowed when she smiled. “What. The. Fuck. Is. That?”

“It would seem you have a magic sword, Merle Dixon.”

“A magic sword? Alright now, this is gettin’ fuckin’ ridiculous.” He put his hand on her shoulder and shook his stump in front of her face. “I don’t know how many times I can emphasize that I’m missin’ a hand. And I don’t have a weapon I can use. And I’m in a place I don’t know.  _ What _ exactly do you think I’m gonna do here? All this shit, and what’s in it fer me?”

There it was, she thought. “You will have me as your mate.”

“Ain’t mates s’pposed ta fuck?”

The corners of her mouth turned up just slightly and she moved closer, surprising him. “Merle Dixon, when we mate, you will know pleasure greater than you have ever felt before.” Her fingers danced over the skin of his bare arm, and he sucked in a breath at the sudden feeling of euphoria. “I will consume your thoughts, invade your every breath. The feel of my skin will play on yours for all of your days. My taste will linger on your tongue for eternity. My scent will surround you with every step you take. I will BE the very thing you crave to give you life.” She paused, the soft pads of her fingers touching his bottom lip. “When we mate for the first time, we will bond. My magic will grow stronger, and you will know your full potential.”

Merle shook himself out of whatever dream fog he was in and smirked at her. “Them’s a lotta pretty words, girl, without anythin’ in it fer me right now. When’s this matin’ thing start? Better be before I wake up, otherwise, this is just some kinda shroom hallucination without any kind o’ happy endin’."

“It will happen when it is meant to, Merle Dixon. Right now, our lives are in peril if we remain here, so we must keep walking.”

He shrugged and started walking again, which seemed to make her happy; not that he cared. This was just some kind of fucked up dream, he kept telling himself; only it felt awfully real for it to be a dream. Looking around, he didn’t see anything that to his mind would indicate this particular area was any more dangerous than any other. Of course, it didn’t escape him that this was the only part of Eclemar he’d seen yet, so he really couldn’t judge. “What makes this place more dangerous than where yer from?”

“Pevret lives here. He is an ancient being who set himself apart from the rest of us long ago. Very powerful, but very resolute in his desire to be left alone. If he found us here, he is as likely to kill us as he is to ignore us.” As she walked he watched her scan the sky and few scattered trees and large rocks around them. It made him wonder what kind of being she was referring to. 

“Sounds like a dumbass thing ta do ta come here by yerself then.”

“Perhaps it was. But I had no choice. I needed the magic he infuses here in order to complete the portal spell.” Her amber eyes held his for a moment while they walked. “It took all of my magic and more to bring you here. We are at risk until it regenerates, and it cannot do that until I can rest. So please, Merle Dixon; no more questions for now. Let us get someplace safe, and I will explain everything and provide the proof you require, if necessary.”


	3. Chapter 3

Merle was quiet for a few minutes while they walked, but that was about as long as he could stand the silence. “Come on, Sugartits. Start talkin’. I ain’t got nothin’ better ta do until I wake up from this weird ass dream.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Unless ya changed yer mind ‘bout gettin’ my cock wet?”

Her blue lips turned up into a smirk and she shook her head. “This is not the time, nor is this a dream, Merle Dixon. Eclemar is very real. And my world is dying.” 

For the first time since he landed in this cartoon dream, Merle thought Aurora looked sad, and something urged him to reach out to her. When his hand rested on her shoulder, she smiled and leaned her cheek on his hand. That same feeling of euphoria came over him from the last time they had touched, and he pulled his hand back.

She looked to him, concern briefly crossing her features before taking a deep breath and pushing forward. “Merle Dixon…”

His hand wrapped around the back of her upper arm and he pulled her to a stop. “Sugartits, if we’re gonna get along here, stop usin’ my whole name like yer scoldin’ me. Jus’ call me Merle.”

“Very well, but we must continue walking.”

He let her go with an exasperated sigh. “Start talkin’.”

“There is a mage, Maughor Deathshroud, who is more evil and powerful than anything this world has ever seen. He has found the heart of this world’s magic and built his keep over it.”

While they walked he kept hearing groans and cries of pain, but when he looked around, all he saw were the trees, bits of scrub, and wheatgrass. It had to be another side effect of the shrooms he must have eaten. He realized he had missed some of what Aurora was telling him.

“...should spread from there out into the rest of the land, but he has created a vortex to draw most of it directly into his keep for his own use. Some magic reaches to surrounding lands, but not nearly enough. All life here depends on magic to some degree. Certain creatures cannot survive without it and are dying. Soon, some of them will be extinct. He has been demanding tribute in exchange for rations of magic…”

Merle put his hand out and shook it. “How exactly were ya able ta bring me here then? Seems ta me like that wouldn’t be an easy thing ta do if yer magic ain’t what it used ta be.”

“That is why I had to come to Pevret’s land. Certain ancient beings have their own sources of magic, and he is the closest.” She paused for a minute, then sounded thoughtful as she continued. “At one time, he was allied with my people.”

Aurora was quiet for some time while they walked, and Merle tried to tune out the continued voices he heard around him.

“Why am I hearin’ voices? Shrooms ain’t never made me hear voices before.” He focused on a tree to the right of their path that seemed to reach out to him and groan.

She scanned the area, then looked back to him with an amused expression. “It would seem you can communicate with the life around you.” One midnight blue eyebrow arched and she smirked. “That could prove useful.”

He rolled his eyes and held his leather covered stump up in front of her face. “Not like I can do anythin’ else missin’ a hand.”

“ _ Idiot _ .” A voice came from behind him, and someone kick him in the ass.

There wasn’t anything behind him, and Merle snarled at the air. “What was that?”

“I do not know. I did not hear anything.”

Merle glared at her, and they walked in silence for a few minutes. He scrubbed his hand over his face and chuffed. “This is the worst dream I ever had.”

“I can promise you, Merle, you are not dreaming.”

Grinning like an idiot, he leered over at her. “Ya gonna prove it?”

There was another kick to his ass. “ _ Idiot _ .”

“I’m gettin’ really sick o’ that.”

Aurora giggled.

Merle felt a strange warmth in his heart as he looked at her. He cleared his throat and pushed the feeling down. “Go on; finish tellin’ me ‘bout how ya brought me here.”

“Alright.” She paused for a minute and looked around. Pointing ahead of them to a grove of trees, she changed direction. “We need to avoid that section of the forest. Mipsies live there.”

“Mipsie? What the fuck is that?”

“They are normally a very docile sprite, but with the lack of magic, they have turned mean. One on its own is not an issue, but they live in large groups. My magic needs time to regenerate before I can protect us from any threats.”

He humphed. “I ain’t havin’ no woman protect me from shit.”

“Perhaps once you learn to use your sword, you will not need my protection.”

The woman continued on ahead of him, and he noticed she was carrying the staff he’d seen in her hand when he was in the woods back home. 

“ _ Idiot _ .”

This time, the voice didn’t come with a kick, but it pissed Merle off nonetheless. “God Damnit! What the fuck ever you are, cut it the fuck out!”

Aurora had turned back to look at him. “It is most likely your sword. Perhaps you should talk to it.”

“I ain’t talkin’ ta a God Damn sword, woman!”

“ _ I have not had a problem speaking to an uncouth lout such as you. _ ”

“Seriously?” He reached behind his back to try to yank the sword from it’s scabbard but couldn’t seem to get his hands on it. “Asshole. Ya haven’t been talkin’ ta me. Ya just been callin’ me an idiot.”

“ _ Stop acting like an idiot and perhaps I would not address you as such _ .”

“Ya really can’t hear this?” He gestured his stump to Aurora, and she shook her head.

“ _ I am your sword; only you can hear me _ .” There was a long pause while Merle chewed his lip and considered his response. “ _ Idiot _ .”

“Cut it out, asshole.” Aurora laughed in front of him, and he growled at her back. “Listen here, Sugartits. Ya ain’t exactly helpin’. This is all yer fault in the first fuckin’ place. Yer hocus pocus brought me here without my hand. I ain’t got a weapon I can use. The sword strapped on my back is useless ta me…” Hesitating, he flicked his eyes over his shoulder, but the sword was quiet. “I’m stuck in some kinda shroom-induced dream world I can’t wake up from.”

“Come, Merle. We need to find shelter before it gets dark.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Aurora found what she called a ‘home tree’ for them to spend the night in. It looked like a Hobbit home inside a huge tree trunk; without an actual door, though. When he stepped inside, he found it to be large enough for both of them to be comfortable, and the center of the floor was as soft as a mattress. While he stood there looking around, his ears began to buzz with the rising sound of insects, which didn’t make any sense.

Stepping out of the tree, he stalked over to where Aurora sat. She pulled something from a pack he hadn’t seen her carrying. Her amber eyes lifted to his as she handed him a blanket and two small pillows, which he tossed back into the tree. 

“Ya got anythin’ edible in there, woman?”

She looked into the pack and dug around before pulling out something which looked to be wrapped in butcher paper. Merle took it and plopped down next to her on the log she was sitting on to unwrap it. There was some kind of dried meat, fruit, nuts, and what appeared to be cheese inside. At least the food was vaguely familiar. When he looked back over at her, the pack was gone again.

“Okay, where the fuck did that thing go?”

Aurora laughed softly and patted the leather around her hips. There was a small fist sized pouch at her side. “It is a travel pouch. The inside is spelled to carry the equivalent of about two hundred pounds. When it is opened, the outside looks like a large rucksack. Upon closing, it returns to the size you see.”

“That yer magic?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about yer magic then. How did ya get me here?” He passed her a piece of the dried meat as he chewed a piece of his own. 

She smiled over at him and took a small nibble. “I am what is called an elemental mage. I control light, heat, and lightning energy easily.” Holding her hand palm up, she created a ball of light and set it free to float in front of them. “For other types of magic, I must draw from the elements around me. That is why I had to travel to Pevret’s territory. In order to cast the portal spell, I needed to call you here. I needed the magic he infuses there. Once we bond, my magic will stabilize, and I will be able to use other magic more easily.” She motioned her chin toward him. “You will also know your full potential here on Eclemar once we have bonded.”

Merle grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Well…”

“No, Merle Dixon. It is still not time for that.” 

“Yer makin’ this dream really suck, Sugartits.”

With a soft laugh, she finished the piece of dried meat she was eating and held her hand out to him. “This is not a dream, Merle.”

He looked down at her hand for a minute then laced his fingers with hers. That euphoric feeling started to overwhelm him again, and he had to close his eyes. “Is it jus’ me or do ya feel that, too?”

“Yes. It is the beginnings of our bond.”

They sat there with their fingers laced together until Merle felt like he was floating out of his body, and he let go of her hand. Suddenly, he was exhausted and needed to lie down. Aurora’s eyes followed him as he stood up and walked to the tree, where he found the pillows and blanket he’d tossed in inside were laid out perfectly. Shaking his head, all he could think was Eclemar was a strange place. Dropping to his knees, he laid on his stomach with his arm bent under one of the pillows. A strange murmuring filled his ears, and he quickly drifted off.

When Merle woke up, his left arm was draped over a distinctly feminine body, and the scent of the outdoors filled his nostrils. He opened his eyes to find Aurora lying under his arm.

“God fucking damnit, I’m still here. It wasn’t a dream.”


	4. Chapter 4

Merle sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face, growling and mumbling to himself while he did. He was just pissed off enough that he started to reach down to roughly shake Aurora awake and demand she send him back home. A dramatic sigh sounded behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to where his sword was once again visible.

_ “Idiot. She needs to rest. Magic is scarce in the lands here, and she is a creature of magic. If she does not recover sufficiently, she will die like so many other creatures here are. Is that what you want? Hmmmm?” _

If anyone were to have seen Merle they would have thought he was possessed by a demon. He reached behind his back trying to get ahold of the sword, which of course he couldn’t, then started kicking the air behind him. All as quietly as he possibly could before he finally left the shelter of the home tree.

When he was far enough away that any yelling wouldn’t wake Aurora, he resumed trying to yank the sword off his back. Somehow, he actually managed to get the scabbard off of his back and threw it out in front of him. “Asshole! Yer not helpin’!”

_ “Why? Because I speak the truth? Do you really think a mage such as Aurora Stormeye would seek to bring an uncouth lout such as yourself here if it was not your destiny?” _

Scrubbing his hand over his face, Merle growled low in his throat in frustration.  “I don’t know nothin’ about Aurora Stormeye other than she’s a blue fuckin’ alien that thinks she’s s’posed ta be my woman but won’t fuck me!”

_ “Idiot.” _

“God damnit, asshole. Cut that shit out!” Merle threw his hand out toward where the sword was lying and stumbled back when the air pushed him. It took him by surprise again that something he couldn’t even see actually had the ability to physically affect him. 

_ “Merle Dixon, you have spent the entirety of your life in various states of self-abuse because you are angry at your position in life. Well, Merle Dixon…” _

“What is it with both o’ ya? Just fuckin’ call me Merle, asshole.” 

The sword was silent for a moment, leading Merle to believe perhaps he’d been hallucinating the entire thing.

_ “Very well, idiot. You may call me Grimwold.” _

“Grimwhat?”

There was another pause.  _ “Grim.” _

“Asshole.”

_ “Would you like to continue this discussion, or should I just teach you a lesson physically?” _

Merle felt a kick to his ass again, then he was pushed forward. “Fuckin’ asshole. Cut it out. Just talk will ya, ya stupid piece o’ shit.” He walked up to where the sword lay and kicked at it, but his boot was met with what felt like a solid wall in front of the sword. Honestly, Merle was madder than hell, but as stubborn as he was, he recognized the fact that he was out of his element. If he just walked away, he could die instantly if he ate the wrong thing or ran into some hostile creature starved for magic. He was pissed off, but he didn’t want to die. That didn’t mean he was going to make things easy on them, though. 

_ “As I was saying, you have spent your life in various states of self-abuse because you are angry at your position in life. You believe you were meant for more; view yourself as smarter than those around you; do not understand why people do not follow you.” _

Merle grew angrier with each word his asshole of a sword said. He folded his arms over his chest and started pacing. 

_ “Have I perhaps struck a nerve?” _

“Fuck you, asshole.”

_ “You are more than an idiot, Merle Dixon. You are a fool.” _

“There ain’t no way I can get away from ya, is there?”

_ “You can try.” _

Merle scoffed and kept pacing.

_ “Shall I continue.” _

“Why not? Not like I could shut ya up anyway.”

_ “You have an opportunity here, on Eclemar, to be that something more you were not on your own world. In our books of prophecy, you are a brave and powerful hero revered through all the lands.” _

At that, Merle was intrigued. He stopped pacing long enough to look down at where Grim lay in its scabbard on the ground. He wondered momentarily whether the sword was male or female, but the voice sounded male. “How do I know y’ain’t lying ta me?”

A large book appeared in the air in front of him and fell to the ground at his feet with a thud. It opened, pages started to turn on their own, and finally stopped about halfway through. 

Merle just stood there, hands on hips, looking between the book and his sword.

_ “You can read, can you not?” _

He started to answer but was interrupted by Grim’s voice again.

_ “Idiot.” _

Chuffing, he bent to pick up the book and carried it over to the log he’d sat on with Aurora the night before. He started reading and was stunned to find the book describing him in extreme detail. Down to personality quirks, his childhood, and a complete physical description. The more he read, the more bewildered he was. “Are ya fuckin’ serious, asshole?”

_ “That is an ancient tome. You have been prophesied to be the savior of our world for thousands of years.”  _ Grim was quiet for a moment.  _ “Such a disappointment to finally meet you.” _

“Asshole, what the fuck!” He looked up from the book he was reading to glance at the sword.

_ “You must admit, right now you are not comporting yourself in any form of heroic manner.” _

Merle actually stopped to consider the swords words and shook his head. “Never wanted ta be a hero.”

_ “It is your destiny to become one here, regardless of what you want. It is also your destiny to become Aurora’s mate and rule her people’s land alongside her.” _

“What nonsense are ya talkin’ now?” Merle still had the book in his lap and flipped through to read some of the things he was supposed to do on Eclemar. “I got one hand. How the fuck do y’all think I’m gonna be this ‘most feared swordsman in all of Eclemar’s history’? Really?”

The sword was silent for so long that Merle actually thought the presence imbued in it might have left. 

_ “Before you, I was the most feared swordsman in Eclemar’s history.” _

That surprised him. “But yer a sword.”

_ “Actually, I am the spirit of a swordsman in my own sword.”  _

“What?” This place was just getting weirder the longer he stayed. “Wha’dya mean yer a spirit in yer sword?” He moved the book to sit on the log and reached out to grab the sword.

Removing it from the scabbard he studied it’s length. It was smooth, razor sharp, and polished to a mirrored shine so that he could see himself in it. He quirked his head as he looked at his reflection and then dropped the sword when he realized he wasn’t actually looking at a reflection of himself. “That you, asshole?”

_ “Yes.” _

Something passed over Merle for a second; he wasn’t really sure what, but he picked the sword back up and slid it back into the scabbard. “What happened to ya?” He heard a heavy sigh and Grim was silent.

_ “I grew too bold and self-important. I was cursed, and my spirit confined to my sword so that when you came along, you could learn from the mistakes of my past. And I suppose as well that I will have to teach you how to use a sword. This sword, my vessel if you will, is my bane and hence known as Grimwold’s Bane.” _

Merle shook his head and sat back down on the log. “Why me? What makes ya think I’m the one in that book?”

_ “You read the book. Does it not describe you?” _

“Yeah, Grim, but why me?”

_ “That is a question I cannot answer Merle.” _

He eyed the sword suspiciously. “Am I gonna wind up in there with ya, asshole?”

_ “You are an idiot, but it is my duty to see that you do not. Ultimately, that is upon you to decide where you end up by how you choose to embrace your destiny.” _

“I’m jus’ not…” He was interrupted by Aurora’s voice.

“Are you and your sword finally on speaking terms?” She smiled as she sat on the log next to him. Her fingers brushed his when she handed him some more of the dried meat they had eaten the night before. That same euphoric feeling started, and he had to pull his hand away, which made her grin wider.

“I s’pose we are. Asshole says I’m s’posed to be some kinda hero here. Showed me that books o’ yers.” He reached down to pick up his scabbard and returned it to his back. The book was gone by then.

Aurora simply smiled at him and offered him some fruit and cheese from the packet she was holding. Merle watched her out of the corner of his eye while they ate. 

In his ear he heard a very faint  _ “Idiot.” _


	5. Chapter 5

Merle had been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the rest of the journey to Aurora’s people. Taulian, she had called their race. He thought she looked like a blue fricking elf without pointed ears, but whatever. While they walked, he actually spent the time thinking about everything that had happened in, what was for him, less than twenty-four hours.

Life on Earth had never been easy. He had alienated most of the people he had ever actually cared about with his surly and defensive nature. If they didn’t get close, he didn’t have a reason to care, and if he didn’t care, he didn’t get hurt. For some reason, whether it was Aurora’s touch, Grim’s arguing, or the prospect of being something here in Eclemar, Merle found himself wanting to care. It was a strange feeling, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it, but for now, he didn’t have much of a choice. They had just crested a rise, and he could see  her family’s keep in the distance.

Lifting her arm, she pointed at it. “Stormeye Keep.”

He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “Y’all don’t got much imagination, do ya?”

She drew her brows down in confusion. “I do not understand.”

“Yeah, didn’t figure ya would.”

Aurora hesitated for a minute and studied him, then started to make her way down the rise. Once they were in sight of the keep, people who looked much like Aurora started to file out onto the plain in front of the stronghold. When two men, somewhat larger than the rest, came out of the gates and made their way to the front, Aurora broke out into a run toward them. 

“ _ Behold, your future people,”  _ Grim announced. _ “Do you think you can manage not to be an idiot while they are around? _ ”

“Asshole,” Merle muttered under his breath.

“ _ Just this once, Merle, it would behoove you to be on your best behavior. _ ”

“Ya think I don’t know that, Grim?”

His sword - could he really refer to it as just his sword anymore - sighed heavily as he watched the woman claiming to be his mate hug both men. Something snapped in Merle, and he swaggered in their direction.

“Aurora?!”

“Merle!” She reached out and grasped his upper arm, which prompted that euphoric feeling again. “This is my father, Covius Stormeye…”

The taller, larger man, stepped forward with his hand out, which Merle shook. “I see my daughter succeeded in her mission to bring you here to fulfill your destiny.”

“ _ Do not be smart in your response, idiot. _ ”

“She was…” Merle paused momentarily. He wasn’t sure how to address Aurora’s father.

“You may simply call me Covius.”

Merle nodded, and Aurora motioned to the other man. “This is my brother, Aubron Stormeye.”

The other man was not so friendly. Rather than offering his hand, Aubron crossed his arms over his chest and looked Merle over critically. “Doesn’t look like any kind of hero to me.”

“ _ Hold your tongue, _ ” Grim cautioned.

Internally, Merle rolled his eyes and grumbled but did manage to keep his smart response to himself. 

“Aubron.” Covius’ voice was stern, and he held a hand up to warn his son off, then motioned to Merle and Aurora. “Aurora, show Merle to your rooms. We will have a feast in your honor tonight after the ceremony.” 

With that, Covius abruptly turned and headed back into the keep, followed closely by Aubron.

Aurora quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as she laced her fingers with Merle’s and pulled him along with her. He found the euphoric feeling was starting to feel normal and not as overwhelming. 

He leaned down to speak into her ear. “Yer brother always that friendly?” 

“He is…” Aurora paused and watched her brother walking ahead of them with her father. “...jealous.”

Merle hummed. “O’ what?”

“Of me.” She smiled over at him and squeezed his hand. “Of you.”

“What fer?”

“We are destined to rule here after my father.”

That little tidbit of information rendered Merle effectively speechless while Aurora led them through the keep. When she stopped, it was in front of a large arched door, which she pushed open to reveal a room possibly as large as the entire house Merle grew up in. His eyes scanned the room while he stepped inside then returned focus to Aurora. “What’re ya talkin’ about?”

Her smile faltered for a flicker of a second before she took a deep breath, then it reappeared. Merle wondered just how much of her own feelings she kept bottled up. “It will take more time to explain than we have at the moment. Suffice it to say that because of the prophecy, I usurp the line of succession.”

There was a knock on the door just before Aubron walked into the room. “The great Merle Dixon foretold for thousands of years here in the flesh.” Aubron circled Merle like a predator. “Missing a hand? What kind of swordsman only has one hand?”

“ _ Use caution in how you answer, _ ” Grim advised.

Merle didn’t even get the chance.

“Where is his dragon, sister?”

“ _ DO NOT RESPOND UNTIL HE IS OUT OF THE ROOM! _ ” Grim sounded frantic.

Aurora saw the panicked look on Merle’s face and ushered Aubron out of the room. “Aubron, please! Leave us for now!” The door closed to her brother’s snickering, and she turned to face Merle while leaning back on the door.

“What. The. Fuck. Aurora? Dragon? What Dragon?”

She sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes, Merle. Dragon. Pevret, actually.”

“Ain’t that the same ancient being you said was as likely to kill us as ignore us?” Merle yelled, waving his arms around.

“Yes.”

“ _ Pevret will know who you are. He is as aware of the prophecy as the Taulians are. _ ”

“Yer not helpin’, asshole!”

Aurora just raised an eyebrow. 

“Why didn’t either of ya tell me ‘bout this?” Still waving his arms around, Merle started to pace.

“I did not wish to alarm you.”

“ _ I was fairly certain you would react like an idiot. _ ”

Merle huffed and rubbed his forehead. “Fuck is all this shit? Ya bring me here ‘gainst my will. Yer hocus pocus goes haywire and chops off my hand. Ya tell me I’m s’posed ta help save yer world. What the fuck’s in it fer me? Ya still won’t fuck me.”

“ _ You really have a poor sense of timing. _ ”

“What are ya talkin’ about, Grim?”

“Ahem...”

He dropped his head into his hand and shook it. “Shit.” Turning around, he faced Covius, whose eyebrow was arched over stern features. Aurora looked embarrassed and amused.

“There will be no consummation of your relationship with my daughter until you are married tonight.”

Merle wasn’t sure he heard the man correctly. “S’cuse me? What didja say?”

“You are to be married tonight in the throne room, after which we will have a feast to celebrate. I will leave you both to prepare.”

Grim sighed behind him. “ _ I would once again advise you not to say anything else. _ ”

He didn’t. Instead, he glared at Aurora until Covius left the room. As soon as he did, she put the bar down on the door so there wouldn’t be any more interruptions.

“Merle, I…”

“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me?!”

“I am afraid not.”

“Send me back home.”

“I cannot. My magic will not allow it.”

“ _ This is your destiny, Merle Dixon. There is no point in trying to fight it. _ ”

Merle scrubbed his hand over his face and growled. “Y’all keep talkin’ ‘bout destiny and shit. Ain’t none o’ ya realized that while y’all had yer entire lives ta get used ta the idea o’ me, I only had a little over a day ta get used ta any o’ this.”

“ _ Well, that would be the first intelligent thing you have said since you have been here. _ ”

“I apologize, Merle. I suppose in my excitement and need to bring you here, I did not consider how you might be feeling.”

“I gotta get outta here.” He walked over to the door, lifted the bar, and walked out into the hallway. “Ya know how ta get around here, Grim?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“Then tell me how ta get outside.”

Grim sighed heavily but gave him the directions he asked for.


	6. Chapter 6

Merle wasn't sure how long he walked; it felt like a day but it could have been less. He was determined to get back to where Aurora brought him from Earth, sure that somewhere there he would be able to find the portal that she used to get him to Eclemar. Grim surprisingly didn't try to talk him out of returning to Pevret’s lands. The spirit in the sword seem to know something Merle did not.

Even though he had traveled through once, nothing was familiar, so he couldn't tell if Grim was taking him to where he wanted to go or someplace else entirely. He was tired, hungry, frustrated, confused, and royally pissed off. Grimm had been mostly silent, except for giving directions and telling him what was safe to eat or drink, during the journey back to where Merle started.

Finally, he recognized the field of red wheatgrass that he started in, but there were no signs of the portal that dumped him there. After searching the area for at least another fifteen minutes, he came across a large rock formation and sat down on a boulder. He started muttering to himself about women ruining his life when the Earth under him start to shift. Suddenly, to his right, a large eye popped open and looked his way. Merle jumped up from what he realized was actually a clawed foot...paw...hoof? He wasn’t even sure what to call it or the enormous beast attached to it.

“Do you ever shut up?” The beast lifted it’s head and blinked a few times, then yawned, showing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Merle backed up a few steps but held his ground. He wasn’t sure how fast the beast could run, but there wasn’t any point in making himself look like an easy target. After all, he had a sword, and the beast had no way of knowing he didn’t know the first thing about sword fighting at that point. “What’re ya?”

“I'm the magical fucking dragon of your nightmares, Merle Dixon.”

“Wait.” Merle cocked his head to the side and studied the rocks in front of him. “Ya know my name?”

The large eye in front of him rolled skywards. “Of course. I know everything that goes on in my lands.”

“Yer Pevret?”

“In the flesh.” The rock formation in front of him shifted again and stretched out. Before Merle knew it, a large black scaled dragon was standing in front of him stretching out his leathery wings.

“Well, shit. I guess yer gonna eat me now, ain't ya?”

Pevret shook his head and bared his teeth in disgust. “Where would you get a stupid idea like that? Your kind is too bony, not enough meat. You're not worth the effort. Besides that, I'm bound by the same prophecy you are. If I don't fulfill my part, I'm stuck here forever.”

That caught Merle off guard. If the dragon Aurora thought was so powerful was stuck on this world, how the hell was Merle supposed to get off? “Wha’dya mean stuck here ferever?”

The dragon’s head swung down to look Merle in the eyes, close enough he could feel the heat of the air the dragon was exhaling through his nostrils. “Tied to this land, these people. Dragons can travel between dimensions. I cannot because of the prophecy.”

“Ya mean, that stupid book my stupid sword showed me is keepin’ ya here?”

“ _ I am not a stupid sword, Idiot. _ ”

A puff of warm air hit Merle’s face from the dragon’s nostrils while he raised what appeared to be a scaly eyebrow. “Grimwold is that you?”

“ _ Unfortunately, yes. _ ”

“I didn’t realize you were caught up in this prophecy, too.”

“ _ I am stuck with the idiot as well. He wishes to return to his world. _ ”

“He can’t do that.” Pevret grunted and let out a cloud of smoke in Merle’s face as he looked over his shoulder at Grim.

“ _ I am very aware that he cannot do that, Pevret. I have been trying to tell him that he has a great purpose here. He seems to be fixated on his lack of a hand. Our great hero is, sadly, an idiot. _ ”

With that, Merle finally had enough of the two of them talking about him like he wasn’t there. He raised his leather covered stump up for emphasis. “Well, God. Fucking. Damnit. It’s kinda a big deal!”

Pevret huffed out a blast of warm air over Merle. “I’ve been unable to breath fire for the last several hundred years. Imagine how that feels for a dragon.”

Merle suddenly had a thought and unstrapped his scabbard to lean Grim against an actual rock next to where he and Pevret stood. “I find it real fuckin’ funny that yer fancy book thought it’d be a good idea fer a dragon that can’t breath fire, a ghost in a sword, and a redneck missin’ a hand ta save yer world. Was the guy that wrote the book high on somethin’ when he wrote it?”

Grim sighed. “ _ There is a reason we were brought together missing what we are. _ ”

Throwing his arms up in the air Merle looked between the sword in front of him and the dragon standing next to him. “What the fuck are we gonna do, Grim?” He rubbed his hand over his forehead and chewed his lip while he thought things through when something hit him. Daryl was back on Earth with no idea what happened to Merle. “What about my brother?”

Pevret settled back down on the ground and crossed his clawed hands, or whatever they were, in front of him. “What about him?”

“Daryl don’t know what happened ta me. He’s probably worried sick lookin’ fer me.”

“On your world the dead have begun to rise and you wouldn’t have survived if you stayed.”

Merle gave the dragon an incredulous look. “What the hell you mean, the dead started ta rise?”

Tilting his head to study Merle more closely, he craned his head around to the sword. “He is a bit slow, isn’t he?”

“ _ I told you he was an idiot. _ ”

Swinging his head back, Pevret narrowed his gimlet eyes on Merle. “I mean exactly what I said. The dead of your world walk again. Chaos reigns and civilization as you knew it has fallen.”

“I gotta get back! Daryl’s gonna need me!” Merle started to pace frantically. 

The dragon shook his head. “No, Merle Dixon. Your brother will survive where you wouldn’t. He’ll become for the people of Earth much what you will be here. In many ways, at this time, you are better off without each other.”

That brought Merle up short, and he considered Pevret’s words. For once, he actually thought about how the people around him could be affected by his decisions and what the repercussions might be to both Aurora and Daryl if he were to find a way back to Earth. “If I were ta go back, what’d happen?”

Another cloud of smoke floated into Merle’s face when Pevret huffed. “You’d be killed by a man who calls himself the Governor and Eclemar will wither and die.”

“How do I know any o’ this shit is true?” The same book Merle read the night before materialized and fell to the ground at his feet. He stared at it for a minute then kicked it toward Grim. “God damnit, yer fuckin’ book ain’t helpin’, Asshole!”

“Merle Dixon…”

“Listen here Pervert…”

“My name is Pevret…”

“Stop callin’ me Merle Dixon! It’s just fuckin’ Merle.” Merle clenched his fist at his side, and his face was so red Pevret was actually concerned he might burst into flames.

So the dragon smiled. “Very well...Muriel.”

“God damnit! My name’s Merle!!” He dropped to the ground and rubbed his hands over his face while he sat there facing Grim and Pevret. “How do I know?”

Pevret looked to Grim then back to the human sitting on the ground, frustrated, confused, and trying to find something to believe in. “You must take a leap of faith, Merle.”

“I ain’t so good at faith.”

A wry chuckle came from the direction of the sword. “ _ Neither was I when I was alive. I only believed in what was right in front of me, in my sword hand. Look where that got me. _ ”

“What am I s’pposed ta do? Ride back to Aurora on a dragon ta save the world?”

Pevret cocked his head to the side. “That would be a hero’s entrance. But you won’t ride, you’ll fly.”

“On yer back?”

“Unless you’d prefer to ride in my mouth?” The dragon smiled for emphasis.

“ _ His talons would not be any more comfortable a ride. I suggest you choose his back. _ ”

“Gee, thanks, Asshole.”

“ _ Idiot. _ ”

The dragon’s eyes rolled at the bickering.

“I still dunno how I’m s’pposed ta save the world. What do I do? Aurora says this mage, Maughor Deathshroud, is drainin’ Eclemar’s magic. I don’t know shit about hocus pocus or how ta fix it.”

“That’s why you have us and Aurora.”

“Speakin’ o’ which... _ she’s _ probably madder than a one legged man in an ass kickin’ contest right now.” Merle scrubbed his hand over his face. “I prolly shouldn’t ‘o left without sayin’ somethin’ ta her.”

“ _ No, you should not have. That is certainly not a way to start out a marriage. _ ”

“Fuck me. I fergot about that. Guess she won’t be so inclined ta get my cock wet after I ran off.”

“It won’t take long to fly back to Stormeye Keep.”

Merle glared at the dragon. “There anythin’ ya don’t know, Pervert?”

The dragon sighed, enveloping Merle in a cloud of smoke again. “It’s Pevret.  _ You _ seem to be the pervert.”

“Yeah.” Merle chuckled. “Whatever.” He eyed the dragon’s long neck which had spines like a catfish running along it that ended three feet before connecting to his upper spine in front of his wings. “How do I ride ya? In front ‘o yer wings, behind ‘em? Y’ain’t like a horse.”

“You ride in front of my wings. If necessary, you can use the last spine to hold onto.”

Merle picked up his scabbard and strapped it back in place, then looked over his shoulder at Grim. “Ya know, if I fall off yer goin’ with me.”

“ _ How exciting for me. _ ”

“Alright, let’s get this shit show on the road.” Merle went to stand next to Pevret who lowered his neck and upper body down so he could climb into place. 

When Pevret spread his wings and started flapping them, Merle actually thought he might lose whatever was in his stomach. The feeling didn’t last long. Once the dragon was in the air and flying forward, Merle felt a rush like he’d never felt before. It wasn’t the same as flying in an airplane. He was on the back of a dragon, a mythical creature, that for all intents and purposes shouldn’t exist. 

It felt like he’d been riding through the air on Pevret’s back all of his life. 

Maybe he had been in his dreams and just never knew it. He seemed to instinctively know what to do as the dragon banked this way or that, dipped down or flew up higher. Not once did he feel like he was going to fall from Pevret’s back. Once they were in the air and flying, he never wanted to stop. Pevret flapped his wings to gain height and speed and then just coasted on the air currents. At one point while they coasted, Merle tightened his thighs around the dragon’s neck and put his arms out like wings. He felt free, truly free, for the first time in his life and closed his eyes to the air flowing around him. 

All too soon, Stormeye Keep came into view. Pevret circled over the keep a few times, then landed gently on the same plain where Merle had met Aurora’s father the night before. He jumped off Pevret’s back, already feeling the loss of being in the air, and patted the dragon’s neck before turning and walking a few steps in front of him. Covius, Aubron, and Aurora all ran up to him from the gates of the keep in front of their people, who filed out onto the plain once more.

Pointing his leather covered stump back to Pevret, Merle addressed Aubron directly. “There’s my fuckin’ dragon.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Aubron crossed his arms and glanced between Merle and Pevret, who had folded his wings back after settling comfortably to the plain. The man didn’t say anything, even though his pinched lips and narrowed eyes spoke volumes as to his thoughts. Covius moved around his son to take Aurora’s hand and walked forward with her toward the newcomers.

“Merle Dixon, the prophecies of our world foretold your coming for thousands of years. They spoke of your loyal friendship with the greatest of dragons, of the leadership you would bring to our people in our darkest of times and of your sacrifice and hard work to restore the magic here and save all of Eclemar’s creatures.”

Merle shifted his weight and felt decidedly uncomfortable at hearing himself spoken of with such reverence. If he were still on Earth, he’d be telling the man in front of him to get off whatever crack he was smoking and leave him alone. But these people genuinely believed Merle was the man destined to do these things. As strange as it felt, considering the years he spent hellbent on destroying his life and alienating everyone around him, he found himself wanting to be the man these people believed him to be. Something told him that Pevret and Grim were telling the truth about Daryl and what was happening on Earth, so all going back now would do was make things worse in both places. For once in his life he wanted to do the right thing, even if he was probably still going to be surly about it. His eyes strayed to Aurora, who was watching him.

Covius lifted Merle’s hand and laid it over Aurora’s, then grasped their hands with both of his own. “I place the care of my beloved daughter, Aurora Stormeye, in your hands, Merle Dixon, as her husband and future ruler of this land. Do you accept her as your wife?”

Stunned by the question, Merle looked to Aurora, who smiled at him. He thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest. “If she wants an old redneck like me, sure.”

The older man in front of him looked somewhat confused by his answer.

” _ This is one of those times where a simple yes or no answer would avoid a lot of confusion. _ ” Grim sounded completely exasperated from behind him.

“I mean, yes.” Inwardly, Merle rolled his eyes at the formality of it all.

With a smile, Covius thrust Merle and Aurora’s joined hands in the air. “Citizens of Stormeye Keep, I give you Merle and Aurora Dixon! Your saviors and future rulers!!”

Merle’s heart dropped into his stomach. Did Covius mean what he thought he did? Aurora was quickly pulled into the throng of people, who were eager to congratulate her so he couldn’t exactly whisper anything in her ear. Doing his best to be discreet, he turned his head back to Grim’s pommel and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “That was the big marriage ceremony?”

“ _ It is usually somewhat more formal, but I am sure Covius now considers you a… _ ” There was a distinct snicker before Grim continued. “ _ …flight risk. _ ”

When Merle looked over to Pevret, the dragon had his chin resting on his crossed front paws and he looked highly amused by the whole thing. Shaking his head, he pushed his way through the crowd of people to his new ‘wife’ and grabbed her hand to pull her toward the resting dragon. That wave of euphoria he had previously felt every time their bare skin touched was significantly stronger and he had to stop for a second to shake his head.

“Do not worry, Merle. Once we have fully bonded it will not be so overwhelming,” she breathed in his ear.

“Yeah? Well, how do we do that cause this shit’s disorientin’.”

“We will fully bond when we mate.”

That sent Merle in an entirely different direction, and he started walking toward the front entrance of the keep. Her light musical laughter and pull on his hand stopped him.

“Not yet. First the feast.”

He picked up both of her hands and pulled her in closer to his body, trying to keep his head from spinning out of control as he did so. “Woman, ya been tellin’ me fer two days now it ain’t time fer matin’. How much longer are ya gonna make me wait?”

She smiled and leaned her forehead against his, then looked right into his eyes. “Only until we have celebrated with our people. We have waited a lifetime for each other. We can wait a few more hours.”

“Maybe you can…but this head spinnin’ crap’s gotta stop.”

Rather than answer, she pressed her lips into his, and he felt a warm wave of calm contentment wash over him. It was something he’d rarely felt in his life, but it was a feeling he could definitely get used to.

When she pulled away from the kiss, she was still smiling. “Better?”

“Yeah. How’d ya do that?”

“Magic, my husband. You have much to learn.” With that comment, she stepped back from him but held his hand and pulled him toward Pevret, who lifted his head. “Welcome great, Pevret.”

“Milady.” The dragon formally inclined his head, then moved within a foot of the two of them and enveloped them in a cloud of warm smoke from his nostrils. “I bless your union and vow my loyalty to you both.”

Merle grumbled under his breath about the formality of it all and received a ghostly smack to the back of his head. He supposed he was probably going to have to learn to put up with a little formality every now and then if he was going to rule these people with Aurora. It then dawned on Merle that Pevret wouldn’t fit inside the keep, and he looked around.

“Where’re ya gonna stay when I’m in there? Is it safe fer ya out here?”

Pevret bared his many razor-sharp teeth as he chuckled and let out short puffs of warm air as he did so. “You don’t need to worry about me. My magic is not affected by Maughor’s drain on the lands and can ward the keep and myself against intruders. I’ll keep watch on the plain.” The dragon used his nose to nudge Merle in the direction of the keep, making Merle stumble in the process. “Go. Celebrate with your new people. I will be here in the morning to begin your training with Grimwold.”

With that assurance, Merle allowed Aurora to pull him along into the keep with her where everyone he passed wanted to say hello, congratulate him, shake his hand, or just touch him. It was unnerving, and he was grateful when he made it to the high table with Aurora and sat down to her father’s right hand with her next to him. Aubron glared at him from across the table at Covius’ left hand. 

_ ‘Great,’ _ Merle thought.  _ ‘Was this going to be another lifetime of contention because I usurped something I never even wanted in the first place?’ _

As much as he wanted to get drunk, he also wanted to keep a clear head for what was to come later, so he paid attention to what Aurora drank and mirrored that. The foods passed around were somewhat similar to what he was used to. There was some form of roast beast, fowl, and seafood as well as a variety of grains and vegetables. More than enough for everyone in the hall to have full bellies, which impressed Merle. His recollection of human history in keeps similar to Stormeye told him that the lower classes of people weren’t always guaranteed that. What he’d seen so far told him that wasn’t how things were in this particular keep.

On his way back to the table after leaving to find a place to piss, Merle paused in one of the hall’s alcoves to watch how Aurora and Covius interacted with everyone. Aubron was nowhere to be found, which Merle found strange until he felt a shove to one of his shoulders.

Grim sighed heavily behind him. “ _ And it begins. _ ”

“Usurper…”

When Merle turned around to face him, Aubron took a swing, which Merle barely ducked under. “What the hell’re ya doin’, Aubron?”

“Showing MY people that you’re no hero, Merle Dixon.”

Merle wasn’t fast enough to dodge Aubron’s next swing, which landed square on Merle’s jaw. He shook the stars out of his head quickly, and when Aubron backed off, Merle spun and gave him a good roundhouse kick to the chest, which sent him reeling back.

“Ya know,  _ Aubrey _ , I ain’t never wanted ta be no hero, but I’m sure as hell gonna try ta make sure yer sister never regrets bringin’ me here.”

When Aubron rushed him, Merle shook his head and stood immobile while the other man attempted and failed to throw him to the floor. Merle didn’t need Grim to tell him that beating his new wife’s brother to a bloody pulp wasn’t the way to start out his life with her. So rather than respond like he wanted to, he kept blocking Aubron’s blows with his leather covered stump and not letting the other man get him off his feet. Finally, Merle had enough and gave him one good hard punch, which sent Aubron to the ground with a bloody nose.

Aubron sat on the floor, dazed for a minute, looking at his hand covered in blood from his nose. “How? You have one hand.”

“I ain’t helpless. And I don’t need ta know how ta use a sword ta beat the shit outta ya, either.”

That got Aubron’s attention. “You…held back?”

Merle shook his head and offered Aubron his hand, which was accepted, and he pulled Aubron to his feet. “I ain’t a stupid man, either. Stubborn as hell, don’t always listen so good, but not stupid. Beatin’ ya senseless ain’t gonna do nobody any good right now.”

There was an amused snort behind him. “ _ I am so proud. _ ”

Merle resisted the urge to throttle his sword.

“Perhaps I was…” Aubron hesitated for a second and studied Merle. “…wrong about you. But that doesn’t mean I have to like you.”

“No skin off my teeth. I don’t gotta like ya, either.”

Aubron gave him one last derisive look, then turned to walk into the Keep proper while Merle headed back to where he’d last seen Aurora. Only when he turned around, she was standing there watching him with a smile on her face.

His eyes narrowed as he studied her and wondered what she heard. Throwing his thumb over his shoulder, he moved toward her. “Aubron had somethin’ else ta do.”

She hummed and moved closer to him. “I don’t guess that bloodied nose of his had anything to do with that something else?”

“I ain’t got no idea what yer talkin’ ‘bout.”

Merle was thankful when Grim didn’t offer any of his commentary.

“Perhaps Aubron will be less volatile in the future.”

“Maybe.”

“Merle?”

“Yeah?”

“I think we’ve celebrated enough.” She looked over her shoulder at him while she headed off in the direction he remembered their rooms being.

It took him a second to catch up to her meaning, then a few more to catch up to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING this is a smutty chapter

When Merle caught up to Aurora, she was already standing in front of the arched doorway leading to their room. She smiled as she pushed the door inward and brought the bar down once they were inside. Merle looked around, this time realizing this was now his home. Aurora lightly stepped to a part of the room somewhat hidden by a sheer curtain.

He followed behind her, curious as to what was there, and found her standing next to a large, four-poster, canopied bed. A chuckle behind him prompted him to move back to the other side of the room and take his scabbard off. Lying Grim across a fancy chair, he hoped the sword was far enough away to not cause any mischief.

Aurora smiled as he made his way back to her. “Are you concerned your sword can see us?”

Merle turned his head to look back toward where Grim lay and scratched the back of his head. “I dunno, but I ain’t takin’ no chances. I don’t know how I’d kill a sword fer seein’ my woman naked.”

“How noble of you.” 

Was she teasing him? Unsure for the first time in his life how to begin, he moved around to the side of the bed where she stood. “There anythin’ special we gotta do? Sex different here in hocus pocus land?”

She released a nervous laugh. “No, Merle, it is not different.”

His brow furrowed as he studied her fidgeting with the various adornments on the leather at her hips. Putting his fingers under her chin, he fought the euphoric dizziness he felt and nudged her face up to look at him. “Are ya okay?”

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she shook her head. “I am afraid I do not know what to do…to please you.”

“Wait…y’ain’t never done this before, or yer not sure what I like?”

More fidgeting as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed it.

He tweaked her lip to get her to stop.

“Both.”

That took him by complete surprise. As confident as she had been the entire time he’d known her, all of two days he realized, he hadn’t expected her to be a virgin. At first, he thought she kept saying it wasn’t time because she thought they were in danger. Later, he figured it was because of something in that damn book of prophecy. The truth was, she was probably just nervous. Merle had avoided virgins since he was a young man because he felt it was too much responsibility and risk. It had probably been at least thirty years since he’d been with one.

How was he supposed to do this?

The main thing he remembered for every one of those girls was there was pain. Looking back, he realized now much of that probably had a lot to do with youthful eagerness and selfishness because he certainly hadn’t been too concerned with their comfort or pleasure. Aurora was different. He was concerned with hers. That in and of itself was a startling revelation for him, but he could dwell on that another time.

As he grew older and became more experienced, he remembered a few women asking him to eat their pussy first before putting his cock inside them because of his size. Obviously, the wetter and more relaxed they were, the better it was, and he figured maybe for Aurora, the less pain there’d be. So that’s where he figured he’d start.

Smiling, he put a hand in her hair and pulled slightly so her head tilted back. “Don’cha worry ‘bout what I like right now. You’ll learn the more we do it. This time, ya just worry ‘bout what feels good.” 

Before she could respond he bent his lips to hers and kissed her, softly at first, but when she opened her mouth in a sigh, his tongue darted between her lips and slid along her own. She was tentative at first, but it wasn’t long before her tongue was tangling with his and her sighs turned to hums. His hand ran over the skin he could touch around the armor she still wore. Though, sometime between when he ran from the keep and returned with Pevret, she had removed the piece from around her neck and arms. That left her in only the corset and gauzy skirt that connected to the leather around her hips. His fingers made their way through the pieces of fabric below where the leather stopped and found bare skin. When his hand moved around to cup her ass, he found her covered by silky fabric.

Aurora reached behind her, then he heard a click. Leather came loose from her hips and fell to the floor, leaving her standing there in what looked like silk panties. He kissed her again in an attempt to get her mind off of her nervousness, and she whimpered in his mouth as his hand cupped her ass completely. His fingers slid under the fabric and over her flesh until they rested in her cleft and kneaded the soft flesh in his hand.

“Is this what it is supposed to feel like, or is this some kind of magic from your world?” she whispered against his lips once he broke their kiss to give them both a chance to catch their breath.

He chuckled at her words. “Ain’t no magic. It’s s’pposed ta feel good. But we ain’t even gotten started yet.” He studied the corset over her chest and couldn’t figure out how to get it off of her.

She seemed to understand his dilemma and reached up to undo a buckle at each of her shoulders, and then her right side, which opened it up. Turning away from him, she removed it from her body and set it on a chair to the side of the bed with the leather skirt piece she picked up from the floor. Her arms reached up to cover herself before she turned back to face him.

Her hands were crossed over her breasts, but the skin of her chest was covered by the same silvery swirls on her face, which had started to glow faintly when he kissed her the first time. He reached out to where her arms were crossed and gently nudged them down away from her breasts. He brushed a finger over one dusky blue nipple and watched as her eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip again. When he dipped his head to that nipple and laved it with his tongue, her fingers threaded through his short hair, and she let out a faint moan.

Stepping back, he realized she was swaying on her feet. “Lay back on the bed, darlin’.”

Aurora’s eyes flicked to his uncertainly before she laid down on the bed like he asked her to. He took off his boots and leather jerkin but decided to leave his pants on for the time being. Turning back to face her, he pulled her legs open so he could kneel between them and leaned over her. This time, he closed his mouth around the nipple he left untouched earlier, sucking hard on it and flicking it with his tongue. She arched her back slightly. Pushing her breast further into his mouth, she let him know she definitely liked her nipples played with. Turning his attention to the other one with his mouth, his fingers traced over the flesh of her belly, which was tense.

Knowing he needed to get her to relax, he pressed kisses between her breasts and moved lower until he reached her navel. Her legs had tensed as well by that point. Sitting back on his heels he looked at her face. Her expression was a mix of apprehension and desire, so he was sure the tension he was feeling in her body was just because this was new to her, but he had to be sure.

“Aurora?”

“Yes?” The question came out breathy.

“Ya sure this is what ya want? I ain’t gonna force ya, wife or not.”

She sat up immediately and put her hands on each side of his face. “Yes, Merle. Yes, I want this, want you.” Her chin dropped as she looked down at herself. “I am just nervous. You are obviously experienced in this, where I am not. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

That was definitely a first for Merle, and he shook his head. “Darlin’, y’ain’t gonna do nothin’ ta disappoint me. I’m ready ta blow my load already, and I ain’t even gotten my cock in ya or my tongue on yer pussy.”

Her eyes widened. “You want to put your tongue…where?”

Merle grinned and waggled his tongue back and forth as his hand reached out to pull down the side of her panties. She lay back again and lifted her hips to let him pull them off and to the floor, and he shifted until he was on his elbows between her thighs looking up at her. 

“I’m gonna put my tongue right here on this pretty pussy of yers and make ya cum. Then, after yer all wet and soft fer me, I’m gonna put my cock in ya and we’re both gonna cum.”

He waited until she licked her lips and nodded before reaching his tongue out to run it over her soft wet folds. She tasted like honey, and he couldn’t remember ever tasting a pussy as sweet as hers. Within a few seconds, her lips were swollen, and his tongue couldn’t keep up with her natural arousal. Aurora was soaking the sheets and he had barely started.

Knowing he needed to prepare her for his cock, he added a finger to his tongue and teased her entrance as he watched her reaction. She fisted her hands in the sheets and arched her back off the bed while moaning softly as he pushed his finger in just slightly. He could feel the rim of the barrier that would tear when his cock was in her, and he wanted to spare her as much of that pain as possible. Pulling his finger back out of her, he paused his tongue to stick his finger in his mouth and get it good and wet, then went back to licking and sucking on her lips. He left her clit alone for the time being.

Teasing her entrance again, he pushed his finger in to the first knuckle and pulled back out. That got him a whimper, so the next thrust he went to the second knuckle. By the time he thrust his finger all the way inside of her, she was repeating the word ‘oh’ a lot. He added a second finger to the first, and when he had both fingers thrust all the way inside of her, that got him a more urgent moan and a slight clench from her pussy around his fingers. 

As tight as she was, he knew he wouldn’t last long inside of her. He felt the base of his spine tingling as it was and realized his hips had been mirroring the motion of his fingers. It was going to take everything he had not to cum before he got inside of her, but she might just be the first woman he had been with since he was a horny teenage boy to get him to bust his nut in his pants. Returning his focus to her, he realized she’d need to be able to take three of his fingers to take his cock comfortably, so he added a third to the other two and pushed in to the first set of knuckles.

That time she hissed in a breath, so he went a little slower and ran his tongue over her clit, which made her jump and clench his fingers hard as she moaned. She got wetter the more he tongued her clit, and soon he was gently thrusting all three fingers into her while she moaned and pulled at the sheets. His balls started to tingle when the spasms of her orgasm started, and he sucked hard on her clit, which sent her completely over the edge. She bucked her hips up into his mouth and arched her back more while his fingers and mouth fucked her pussy, and he had to still his hips and concentrate hard on not cumming himself.

Merle kept his mouth on her while he undid the lacings on the pants he wore and somehow managed to get them off and kick them to the floor. He wanted to get his cock inside of her while she was coming down from her orgasm and her body was relaxed and soft. Somehow, he managed to replace his fingers with the head of his cock smoothly, but when he slid inside of her and felt her wet heat he lost himself. Her eyes flew open, focusing intently on him, and it felt like they were floating up off the bed. That feeling of euphoria was back, and he stilled the motion of his hips to take it all in.

Never in his life had sex felt quite like this did. His entire body buzzed and hummed. Strange tinglings ran through places where he had old injuries and scars that had nothing to do with what was currently happening, and he felt renewed. That was the only way to explain the feeling. It was like joining with Aurora was healing things he had long forgotten but still brought him daily pain.

When he looked back at her, he could tell she felt it too, and he ducked his head to kiss her. As soon as their lips touched, that euphoria was back and both, and their bodies seemed to explode in a cascading wave of pleasure and light. He had to close his eyes because they were glowing, and it was so bright it was blinding. His ears were ringing, and he thought his hips were still moving, but he couldn’t tell. It didn’t even matter because he was buried in her as far as he could go and could feel the thick ropes of his cum pulsing into her as her pussy clenched down on him over and over.

Finally, when the light and sound died down and it felt like they were once again on the bed, he opened his eyes and looked down into her startled ones. “What the hell was that?”

She looked around then back at him with a content smile. “I believe that was our bonding.”

“I heard ‘o the earth movin’ when a couple fucks but that’s God damn ridiculous.”

Aurora chuckled at that as he moved off of her to his right side and stroked his hand over her cheek.

“It gonna be like that every time?”

Pursing her lips, she considered his words. “I don’t think so.”

He closed his eyes and dropped his head on his bicep for a second before opening them and giving her a leering grin. “Wanna try that again after my cock recovers?”

Turning on her side to face him, she pressed a kiss to his lips. “I would like to do that several more times before morning, and then as often as possible after that.”

Chuckling, he patted her hip and closed his eyes. “That’s my girl.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Would ya shut up ‘bout it, Grim?” Merle glanced over his shoulder at the pommel of his sword.

“ _ I should have a place of honor, not be flung into some overstuffed chair. _ ”

Merle was going to have a headache before the day even started. Last night, his and Aurora’s wedding night, had been the absolute best sex he had ever had. Once she got over her initial shyness and worry that she would disappoint him, Aurora proved to be extremely responsive. The fact that she wanted nothing more than to explore every inch of Merle’s body and memorize how he responded to her impressed him. Of course, he did the same with her, and he fell asleep feeling more sexually satisfied than he ever remembered.

Then, of course, as soon as he was in sight of his sword, Grim started complaining about being left in the chair all night.

“Wha’ the hell didja want me ta do, asshole? Put ya in the middle o’ the bed while I was fuckin’ my new wife?”

There was complete silence for several seconds before Merle heard a huff over his shoulder.

“And I didn’t fling ya nowhere, Grim. I put ya in the chair.”

Grim apparently had nothing to say to that.

They walked out onto the plain and found Pevret in the same place he occupied the night before. The dragon’s chin was resting on his crossed paws and his eyes were closed. One gimlet eye opened when Merle was less than ten feet from him. His mouth opened in a yawn, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

Merle was just glad Pevret wasn’t considering him suitable fare for the dragon’s next meal.

“I see you’ve survived the celebration with your new people.” Pevret shifted and sat back on his haunches as he looked Merle over. “Or should I say, they survived you.”

“I ain’t that bad.”

“ _ Ha! You flung me into a chair. _ ”

Reaching behind his back, Merle tried to snatch the scabbard, but Grim was playing games again. “Damnit, I did  _ NOT _ fling ya anywhere!”

“ _ Idiot. _ ”

Pevret rolled his eyes at the two. “What are you arguing about now?”

“Damn sword thinks he’s s’pposed ta be in the bed with me an’ Aurora while we’re fuckin’.”

“ _ I most certainly did NOT say that!! _ ”

“What did you say then?” The dragon calmly asked as he studied his claws.

The sword was quiet again.

Pevret’s eyes lifted to look at the sword on Merle’s back. “Grimwold?”

“ _ That I deserve a place of honor. _ ”

“Wasn’t that misplaced pride part of what got you into your current state of existence?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“Alright then. How about a compromise?” When the sword remained silent, Pevret rolled his head to the side. “Why not put a display rack on the wall, out of sight of your bed, and put Grimwold there at night?”

“Fine with me.” Merle rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and shrugged. “Just weren’t sure how ta kill a spirit in a sword fer makin’ comments ‘bout seein’ my wife naked.”

Pevret snorted and a puff of smoke clouded over Merle.

“ _ I am better mannered than that. _ ”

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t have made comments about Lady Stormeye knowing she couldn’t hear you?”

Grim’s silence spoke volumes.

Merle stopped to consider Aurora’s name for a second. “Ain’t it Lady Dixon now?”

Pevret leveled his head with Merle’s and exhaled hot air through his nostrils.

“Yeah, I got it,” Merle grumbled. The dragon obviously had enough and they had things to do. This time, when Merle reached behind him, he was able to pull Grim from his scabbard. “Ain’t y’all s’posed ta be teachin’ me how ta swordfight?”

There was a loud burst of laughter from the sword in Merle’s hand.

He gave the sword a good shake. “Asshole!”

“I don’t think he can feel that,” the dragon offered.

“ _ Idiot. _ ”

Rolling his eyes, Pevret shook his head at the two in front of him. “I am beginning to wonder about the sanity of the prophecy.”

“I’m beginnin’ ta wonder ‘bout mine.”

“Shall we get started? We have much to teach you and precious little time.”

It didn’t take long for them to figure out that Merle needed an opponent he could mirror while they were teaching him things like stance, swings, and hand position. Pevret and Grim’s explanations were all well and good, but neither of them could actually adjust Merle’s positions or demonstrate what they were describing.

“I can get Aurora ta help.”

“ _ No need. I will conjure myself. _ ”

“Yer gonna do what with yerself?”

There was a shimmering out in front of Merle next to where he was holding Grim which started to coalesce into a person. Merle watched in mute fascination and horror as a man a few inches taller than himself materialized in front of him. The man was wearing a long sleeved open-neck light brown shirt with a dark brown leather vest and breeches of the same color. His black curly hair reached to his shoulders and he had what Merle could only describe as a 70s porn mustache. He was holding a long sword with a fancy quillon that surrounded his hand.

“Well, if ya could do that, what do y’all need me fer?”

The man he assumed to be Grim looked back to Pevret then faced Merle. “Because I am only able to conjure my true self to fulfill my duties to the prophecy.”

Merle started laughing; he really couldn’t help it. Grim certainly didn’t have the look of any kind of fearsome swordsman. He looked more like he should be twinkle-toeing across a stage in a play for Romeo and Juliet or some shit. When Merle reached his leather covered stump out to nudge Grim in the chest, he discovered Grim was indeed solid; and, by the look on his face, not entirely happy. “Can we get on with this travesty?”

“Who’re ya callin’ a travesty?”

“You are both lucky I can’t breathe fire any longer. I would have roasted you both and had a nice little appetizer.”

Both men turned to look at the annoyed dragon.

“There is no time for this nonsense.” Grim turned back to Merle. “I can only maintain this form for a few hours each day so we must make the most of the time we have for you to learn and practice.”

For the next several hours, Grim taught Merle the basic skills he needed to master before they could move on to learning to defend against an opponent. Grim was pleasantly surprised that Merle was an adept pupil and picked things up rather quickly. Pevret was just happy he didn’t have to mediate too many arguments between the two while this was going on. When Grim’s time for the day was nearing an end, they called a stop to the day’s practice.

Merle sat on Pevret’s paw and chewed some of the jerky Aurora had given him that morning. She had also presented him with one of those magical pouches of hers, so he not only had the jerky but a few water canteens as well.

“Ya keep sayin’ we ain’t got much time here. Exactly how much do we have ta get ready fer whatever’s comin’?”

Pevret let out a puff of smoke before answering. “My guess would be two of your Earth weeks.”

“What?!” Merle jumped up to face the dragon. “How do ya figure I’m gonna be ready fer this shit in two fuckin’ weeks?”

Grim shook his head. “I cannot say that you will be. But it is our job to prepare you as best we can and stand beside you to fight Maughor and his army.”

“That’s comfortin’.” Merle started pacing again while Grim and Pevret watched him. When he started talking, his hand and stump gestured in the air to punctuate his words while he occasionally paused to glance at one of the two of them. “I ain’t ready fer this shit. I didn’t sign up fer this. Damn evil wizard and an army, comin’ here? What the fuck?” The tirade stopped for a minute while Merle kicked at some of the blue grass on the ground, which essentially disintegrated under his boot.

Grim and Pevret looked at each other with concern while Merle crouched down to study the grass and the soil. It was dying, too.

Merle was quiet while his eyes skimmed over the land around them. “What’s gonna happen ta Aurora if we don’t beat this Maughor and he sucks all the magic outta this place?”

There was silence while Merle’s companions considered how best to answer him.

He looked at the two of them and could tell they didn’t want to answer. “She’s gonna die if that happens, ain’t she?”

All three turned their heads when the woman in question walked out of the keep gates toward them.

“Yes,” came Grim’s quiet reply before he dematerialized.

When Aurora made it to them, she gave Merle a puzzled look. “Where did your companion go?”

“That was Grim. Apparently, he’s only got a few hours a day to be his old self.” He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Oh. Are you done for today then?”

Pevret nodded. “Yes, we’ve covered enough for one day. You can have your husband back.”

Aurora’s smile made Merle’s heart jump in his chest. “Thank you, Pevret.”

The dragon inclined his head. “Lady Dixon.”

Her smile widened at the sound of her new name, and she took Merle’s hand to pull him along back to the keep.

“What’s going on, darlin’?”

“Father wishes to discuss some things with us. We have much to learn.”

Merle groaned and rubbed the leather of his stump on his forehead. It was going to be a long day and it wasn’t even halfway over.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: mention of possible blackmail

 

The display rack kept Grim from complaining too much about Merle’s nighttime activities. However, that was about the only thing Grim didn’t complain about. 

“ _ I do not see why I must remain here while you have breakfast with Lady Dixon. _ ”

“Cause ya never shut up, Grim. I can’t concentrate on the shit she and Covius are tryin’ ta tell me ‘bout what’s goin’ on.”

“ _ It would certainly be of assistance if I heard those things as well. That would help Pevret and I in your training. _ ”

Merle rolled his eyes at the sword as he slid the leather cuff over his stump. “Fine. But ya gotta behave.”

There was absolute silence from his sword and Merle really wasn’t sure how to take that as he buckled Grim’s scabbard to his back.

As he walked through the corridors of the keep, he nodded to the people who were moving about their business. He was starting to recognize many of them and even knew some of their names. 

It was startling to realize that he cared for these people as much as he already did when he’d only been in Eclemar a little more than a week. 

An entire week, Merle thought to himself. It felt like an eternity.

According to Pevret, his baby brother was doing well back on Earth in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse. Who would have thought?

When he made it to the great hall he found his wife, her father, and her brother already seated at the head of the table. Merle made his way over to Aurora and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before sitting next to her.

“Good morning, Merle.” She leaned toward him with a slight smile, something he noticed she tended to do without even thinking about it; almost like she was magnetically drawn to him.

He always sat to her right so that he could touch her easily if the mood struck him, and he lifted his hand to trace a thumb over her cheek. There was a tiny little sparkle of pale blue light when he skimmed one of the runes there. Every time that happened, he was reminded she was a creature of magic, and if they didn’t succeed in defeating Maughor, she was lost to him.

A little over a week and he couldn’t imagine his life without her anymore.

“ _ Stop brooding over it. That future is not guaranteed. _ ” Grim’s tone, for once, wasn’t sarcastic. 

Merle stopped being surprised that Grim seemed to know what he was thinking. 

“I am afraid I do not have pleasant news this morning, Merle,” Covius began as their breakfast dishes were set in front of them.

“I ain’t exactly surprised.” Merle shook his head and picked up a piece of the Taulian version of bacon and stuck it in his mouth. “What happened now?”

Aubron was rhythmically tapping his fingers on the table next to his plate and wouldn’t look at any of them.

“Maughor has convinced the Varlor’s to join his army.” Covius said this as if Merle was supposed to know what a Varlor was.

“I’m guessin’ this shit’s bad?”

“Bad?” Aubron shot back and slapped his palm down onto the table. “It is devastating.”

Merle looked at Aurora, who had dropped her eyes to her plate as she picked at some kind of pink bread. Covius looked similarly uncomfortable. 

“Someone gonna tell me what’s goin’ on, or should I ask my sword?”

“You ask your sword, Merle Dixon. See if it has any suggestions.” Aubron stood up so abruptly that his chair tipped back and made a loud bang when it hit the floor, startling everyone in the hall.

The three of them watched him storm away before Merle turned back to look at his wife and father-in-law. 

“My brother’s betrothed is a Varlor. She is now Maughor’s consort.”

Merle forked a bite of the purple eggs on his plate into his mouth as he considered that. “Ya sure they weren’t blackmailed in ta joinin’ Maughor’s army?”

“Blackmail?” Both Covius and Aurora looked confused, apparently that word didn’t translate on Eclemar.

“Ya know, gimme somethin’ or I’ll hurt someone ya love kinda thing?”

Covius and Aurora exchanged a look before she turned to Merle. “Nardawen’s father is very old and frail. If Maughor threatened him, I could see her doing anything in her power to save him.”

“Regardless, they were one of our biggest allies. This makes things more difficult.” Covius shook his head in frustration then looked at Merle again. “Go on, eat, then train. We still have much to discuss and too little time.”

Several hours later, after Grim’s time was up for the day and Merle was sweaty, tired, and just a little bruised, he caught sight of Aubron in the keep’s inner training yard. He trained with Grim out on the plain because Pevret was simply too large to fit anywhere inside the keep. Aubron could have been hacking away at the wooden dummy he had reduced nearly to splinters for hours.

Merle considered continuing on inside.

“ _ You should speak with him. _ ”

“Why? He don’t wanna talk ta me.”

“ _ A bridge to living in peaceful acquiescence is often simply one conversation. _ ”

“Yer annoying as shit, ya know that, asshole?” Merle grumbled and changed direction toward Aubron.

When Merle got inside the practice yard, Aubron stiffened at his approach.

“Do you come to rub it in my face that my betrothed chose a madman bent on obliterating our people over me?” Aubron sounded very bitter and hurt.

“Ya know, I ain’t much fer feelin’s but I ain’t so sure that’s what happened.”

Aubron spun on his heel to face Merle. It didn’t escape his notice that despite Aubron’s anger, he kept the point of his sword in the dirt. “How would you even know?

“Aurora says this Narwadada…”

The other man huffed and rolled his eyes, but his tone softened. “Nardawen. Her name is Nardawen.”

Merle didn’t miss the hint of despair. “Nardawen’s father ain’t  so spry no more?”

“No, Jeraweth has lived well beyond his expected years; he is not of good health.”

“Ya think maybe the evil mage told the pretty girl ‘fuck me or I’ll hurt yer dear ole dad’?”

“ _ Very diplomatic, idiot. _ ”

“Shut up, asshole,” Merle snarled out of the side of his mouth as he watched Aubron consider his words.

“There must be a way to find this out, and if that is what happened, for me to rescue my beloved.”

“Maybe ya need ta get yer head outta yer ass and join the council meetin’s like yer daddy wanted ya to.”

Once it was announced that Merle and Aurora would be the leaders of the people of Stormeye Keep, Aubron had stopped coming to council meetings. He thought it pointless since he wouldn’t be leading the people. Why did he need to be privy to their affairs?

Aubron lifted his chin and looked down his nose at Merle. “You would like that, would you not?”

“Don’t matter what I want Aubrey. But I’m perty sure findin’ a way to get these Vaders…”

This time Aubron pressed his fingers into his eyes as he sighed and corrected Merle. “Varlor’s.”

Merle waved his hand in annoyance. “Findin’ a way to get these Varlor’s back on our side is probably good strategy, don’t ya think? I’m guessin’ if this Narwawa…” He ignored Aubron’s eye roll. “...is yer girl, that ya probably know more about her people than yer daddy does?”

“I suppose so.”

“ _ It would be best if you let him think it is his idea. _ ”

Without saying anything to his sword, he simply nodded his head.

Aubron eyes were focused on the tip of his sword in the dirt. It was long moments later before he finally gestured toward Merle. “Come, brother. Let us go speak with my father and sister about this.”

Well, that’s a first, Merle thought to himself as he followed behind his now determined brother-in-law.

******************************

**Author's Note:**

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